Navigator's Bubble
by KittyKattyLOL
Summary: A couple chapters of another alternate "You're a girl?" reveal.
1. Another Day, Another Secret

**Disclaimer: I (sadly) own none of these characters. They all belong to their rightful fabricator, Westerfeld.**

Again. Another lonely night sitting in the sodding Navigator's bubble, when she should be talking to her best friend, enjoying his company, regardless of her own personal wants and needs. "_Oh sod it, it is a need!"_ Deryn thought to herself. She wiped her un-soldierly face, carrying away un-soldierly tears. She got out of the Navigator's bubble, and made her way back to her cabin. She had memorized how to get around at the Airbeast without light,so there was little reason for her to call for wormlight. Despite her memory, her daft attic was clouded with Alek. As a result, she smacked right into Newkirk.

"What the bloody hell Newkirk?" She yelped, holding her now throbbing head.

"Aye, I'd ask the bloody same of you, !" In the faint light from the moon, she saw Newkirk holding his lip, which was bleeding. "Why are you up in the wee hours of the night, Dylan?" Newkirk asked, still rubbing his new fat lip.

"I was doing some thinking! And _you_, Newkirk?" She answered.

"I er...was in the loo." He answered, his face covered with shame. She had heard once that when Newkirk goes to the loo in the wee hours of the night, he impersonates her! And mockingly so, too.

"Right...carry on, Newkirk." Deryn said, pushing past him to her own cabin.

"Aye. See you in the morning." Newkirk responded.

"Barking daft, un-soldierly, empty attic-d, mooning lass! Get control of your emotions!" She grumbled to herself, talking about herself. Newkirk whirled around and came to stand in front of her.

"Blisters, Dylan! I'm no daft mooning lass! I'm no barking homosexual, either!" Newkirk prodded a finger at her heart. "Oh. You are rather _squishy_ there, aren't you?" He uttered before she punched him. "Bloody hell, Dylan!"

"Follow me. I'll explain." Deryn led him to the Navigator's Bubble. "Alright. I'm assuming you know barking well why I'm 'Squishy' there." She didn't even try to mask her voice.

"Bloody surprising, it is! I'd never have guessed. Why do it though? Are you really that scrambled in the attic?" He wondered out loud.

"I needed to fly, and that's all there is to it. My name is Deryn, but I'd rather you only call me by it in private. I am trying to stay in disguise, if you hadn't noticed."

"I won't. By the way, don't talk about being a barking mooning lass!" Newkirk exclaimed. "Speaking of which, you aren't mooning over...me are you?" The quaver in his voice was obvious.

"Bloody hell, _no_!" She yelped angrily, giving him a glare.

"Well, who?"

"I should punch you for that question.

" "Just answer it."

"What if I don't?"

"Then I'll tell everybody that you're a perfect ninny, and you steal my potatoes."

"It's Alek." She whispered, barley audible over the Airbeast.

"What?

"Alek." She said, slightly louder.

"Barking spiders, _Speak up_!"

"It's _Alek_, you bloody ninny!" She shouted. Her face went a deathly white when she heard Alek respond to his name.

"Oh, so you two are in the Navigator's Bubble? Mind if I come in, I mean, I know it can get very crowded, but I'm feeling a bit lonely." He rambled on. Deryn put her hand up to her mouth in a 'Shush' sign. Newkirk nodded, but laughed under his breath. "Dylan, Newkirk, are you in there?" Alek's voice rung with dissapointment.

"Aye, we're busy. We can chat tomorrow, ok?" Newkirk answered, hesitantly. Next thing she knew, the Hatch was open, and Alek was looking in.

"Just making sure you two weren't um...Snogging." He said guiltily.

"What in blazes Alek? I know we may not be princes like you, but that doesn't mean that a few minutes alone and I'll be snogging Sharp's face off! You're a pervert!" Newkirk scolded.

"I hadn't meant it like th-"

"Alek, there's one thing that snogging means. And I'm in no relationship with _Newkirk_." Deryn piped angrily. She slapped him in the face, despite her urge to snog him instead. She reddened at the idea, and although barley visible in the faint wormlight, Newkirk saw and rolled his eyes.

"Blisters! It's like a furnace in here!" Deryn said quickly, obviously looking to escape.

"Hot? I've got my piloting jacket on and I'm _still_ freezing! Are you feeling well, Dylan?" Alek inquired, hugging his jacket closer to him and making a mock shiver.

"Crowded is what he meant, right Dylan?" Newkirk stepped in to save Deryn.

"Aye. My attic's just been a squick scrambled lately." She said, accidentally getting mesmerized by Alek's eyes.

"Ok then..." Alek said, looking confused at the middy, who was now staring deeply into his eyes. All that Deryn wanted to do was to confess her secret, and plant her lips firmly on his. The urge was unbearable. "_The daft prince has turned my life upside down. But I still love him._" She thought, staring into his deep, green, dark, sad eyes. "_His eyes...Oh his eyes..._" she thought. There was a stinging sensation in her foot. Newkirk had stomped it to break her trance.

"Aye. Time to go." She squeaked, rushing past Alek, accidentally bumping into him. Her hand burned white hot where she had touched his. She rushed to her cabin and locked the door.

"Newkirk, what in blazes was that about?" Alek demanded._ "Don't screw this up, Don't screw this up"_ Newkirk thought.

"I'm not sure what's gotten into her." He said, content he hadn't done anything wrong.

"_Her_?" Alek asked. Newkirk's face turned white. _"YOU SODDING IDIOT!"_ Newkirk's thoughts screamed at him.

No point in lying now.


	2. Bloody Knuckles

**Another Disclaimer: I don't own any of these sods. They belong to King Westerfeld. I also _love_ italics for some reason, and Newkirk will probably be in most of my stories. Enjoy!**

"Alek, follow me. I need to bloody tell you something." Newkirk fumbled with his hands, and led Alek up to Deryn's room after Alek nodded. "I'm going to talk to Dylan real quick. Wait here a squick." Newkirk said nervously, also letting out a forced laugh, then banging Deryn's door.

"Aye Newkirk. What do you barking _want_? I was just about to fall asleep..." her voice faded as she saw his expression.

"I need to talk to you for a squick, Dylan." Newkirk said. Her face turned dead white.

"Aye. Ok." She squeaked, grabbing a fistful of Newkirk's shirt, yanking him inside, then slamming the door in Alek's face. The prince huffed. His friends didn't usually leave him out of conversations, but this seemed to be the exception. Alek set to pondering the situation. He was wondering why Newkirk had refered to Dylan as a girl, then turned a deathly white when he realized his mistake. "_Unless..._" Alek thought, then shook his head. "_No, it's obviously just some prank, or practical joke. Dylan's no girl._" He still was unsure. He decided that Volger was right. In some situations, eavesdropping was the best way to gain information. He sighed and pressed his ear against the door.

"-Told him I was a barking _girl_? You sodding _ninny_, Newkirk!" A girly voice hissed.

"It just slipped out, honest!" Newkirk whispered loudly. He heard a sickeningly painful slap, and a yelp.

"You bloody deserved that! In fact, you deserve to get your nose bloodied!" The girly voice hissed once more.

"I know, I barking_ know_." Newkirk mumbled.

"_Really_, you bloody ninny! I tell you I bloody_ love _Alek, and you tell him I'm a lass!" The girl's voice was close to yelling now.

"Shut your yap, Sharp! He could be bloody eavesdropping! You ought to just tell the sod. He isn't going to stop asking until you break. How happy do you think he'll be if he has to force it out of you?" Newkirk whispered, his voice dripping with worry. He heard a sigh, and pulled his ear from the door. It couldn't be true. It was a prank, for sure. He had to know more. His ear made contact with the door once more.

"Newkirk, this is your fault. If you hadn't gone prodding my ditties, we wouldn't be in this bloody mess! Alek's going to hate me because he'll think I told you, then didn't tell him! Blisters Newkirk..." The girl's voice was sobbing now, and then it let out a shuddering gasp. He couldn't take anymore of this, so he looked into the keyhole. Dylan and Newkirk were hugging, but Dylan had tears streaming down his face. "I guess I have no choice but to tell him. If he hates me, then I'll just have to remember that I'm here to serve Britan, not moon over a barking_ prince_ who could never love me in the first place!" The voice said, coming from Dylan's mouth. Dylan pulled back, and wiped at his nose. It could have been a her, he wasn't really sure at this point. He stepped back from the door and stared at it expectantly. He heard the rasp of the doorknob turning, and then the door opened. Before him stood Dylan.

"I need to tell you something." He said. His voice was quavering, and he shook like a leaf.

"Go on..." Alek answered nervously.

"I'm a girl." She responded simply. _She_.

He looked at her in disgust. "Why?"

"I needed to fly you ninny! It was going to kill me if I couldn't, so I dressed up and flew!" Her anger was rising.

"Why'd you tell_ Newkirk_ instead of _me_? Is that really what you think of me?" He asked gruffly. Or as close to being gruff as a prince can get, she supposed.

"Because he went prodding places he shouldn't have! I was going to tell you, I just hadn't decided...when. I never did it to hurt you." She said, near a whisper, and suddenly filled with sorrow and regret. He stared at her. Just stared, and stared. His green eyes enveloped her, swallowing her in their sorrow, but suddenly glazed by tears and anger.

"I can't believe you." Was all he said.

"Alek-"

"I don't want to hear it. I don't want to be friends." He said, voice impaling her heart with icy spears. Tears ran freely down her cheeks now, as she stood frozen in the doorway.

"Why?"

"I told you all my secrets, yet you keep_ this_ from me? How can you even have the faintest_ glimmer_ of friendship?" His voice continued to attack her heart with coldness.

"I don't know." He walked away from her. She slid to her knees and cried.

"I'm sorry." Newkirk offered feebly.

"Sorry doesn't bring Alek back." She said. She stood, drew back her fist, and punched her wall. There was a slight hole there, which was no small feat, considering Darwinist wood had the consistency and strength of steel. She looked at her knuckles, now dripping blood, covered in splinters and cuts. She yelped out in pain, clutching her bleeding knuckles.

"Deryn?" Newkirk asked worriedly.

"I'm just glad Alek wasn't standing there. Probably would have killed him." She let out a weak laugh, and doubled over in pain. "I'm going to bed Newkirk...just...just leave me be. I'll be out tomorrow." She said, ushering Newkirk outside and closing the door. She walked over to her dresser, got out some of the linen she used to wrap her chest, and began to wrap her hand tightly. After completing that painful task, she walked over to her bed, flopped down, and cried softly into her pillow.


End file.
